Little Falls transcript., 1887-03-04

at first could find no trace Of any kind Of
violence. At last my eyes fell upon what
sent.a cold shudder through any veins. I
had often seen fellow creatures, aye, hun
dreds Of them, slain in fair fight ON the
battle field, and had myself knocked over
many man as coolly as / s7ouh "a part
ridge among the stubble; but to See those
his neck. with staring eyes, blackened lips
and protruding tongue, telling that he had i
been foully and treacherously stfahgled,
that was widely different thing" j
''Sure, sthe Major must have begun his
examination at their boots, since he
couldn't aB;hrst-,'' began the Irishman,
soto eoce, but was checked by sudden
glance shot at him from the keen eyes Of
the Major, who repeated slowly and with q
visible shudder, Of Whose genuineness
there could surely be no questions: "Ahi
that was very, very different thing, and
an icy sweat broke out on myforehead. as,
hastily retraciug my steps, 4 hurried to-
ward the'camp. When got within about
twenty yards of the edge OF the wood
saw, not dozen yards away, native
standingb tree, with his back toward
me. He was in full view from whereI
in the open space between the camp and
the wood
"He had his rifle up to his shoulder, and
was taking careful aim at something or
somebody. The thought flashed like light
ming across my mind-'Thes villain! It's
the Colonel he's aiming at My resolution
Was taken instantaneSusly. If he heard me
cock my revolver, then, before / could
shoot him down, he might fire, without
waiting to take better aim at his living
mark.
my hand instinctively frightened it's grip
OF my revolver as leaped noiselessly with
: few cat-like bounds across the interven-
. ing space, and before the fellow had time
to look round ha felled 4aim to the earth.
His skull was smashed in, and he died
without uttering a cry or groan.
''Ihc next moment the Colonel sprang
forward into view in the open-he had
been hidden before by a tree that came be-
tweeG, us. There he stood stock still gazing
into the wood to my left. He had evident
/ ly heard the sound of the blow, slightas it
was, but was not sure Of the direction from
i which it had proceeded. His left side was
turned almost iull toward me, his right
shadedais eyes.
! AS he gael intently into the W0otl
heard, faint, yet distinct, sharp click to
my right. L turned my head in that direc-
tion and thcre-ny sight was unusually
quick and keen in those days-I saw the
rusty, discolorcd muzzle of a gun project
ing from the far side of large tree, and
pointing in the direction of the Colonel.
''The man that held it was completely
! hidden from me by the tree. What could
do! Was to stand there, impotent as g.
baby to avert the danger, and see my
Colonel shot down like dog2
"A shout of warning would have been
| Try hov
fastened the fatal catastrophe could
not fire at the Indian, for he was complete-
''ly out OF sight-there was no part of him
to be seen. Even had there been, it would
I7have availed ue nothing unless i could
have killed him instantaneously. A bullet
in the leg Woull not probably have made
him Vince or alter his aim by hairss
|.'bfeadth, forthe fellows We're either regu~
,tlAr st,;cs Or utterly insensibie 10 scair,
zone casual glance had sutficed to show me
did / mention that my eyes We're most
extraordinarily good?-'telescope aud micro
scope conlbinel,' they used to siy-that
that aim was directed full upon the mo-
.tiouless Coionel's left tempe
'1sA moments reflection decided mp--
there was but one chance left; a desperate
one, but still it was a chance.
Il grasped my revolver firmly in my
and brains; then, without cooking it, for
knew that the faintest sound made by me
at this juncture would have been the
Colonel's death signal, l took steady aim at
a point about yard from his head, in the
line that knew the bullet must take from
the rife of the native to his temple
might have aimed at the muzzle of his rife
had not known that the moment the click
of my revolver WasIeard the death deal
ing bullet would be on, its way. When
think of that moment Of agonizing sus
pense my words seem to stick in my
, throat
Again the hint was taken, and the irrev
, erent young hishman winkod at FRIEND
= rs he thought to himself: Grams do stick
, in ones throat sometimes, and it takes
lot Of washing to swallow them down!"
''These thing take time in the tclling g
> but, by jingo! hey took literally no timt
,, in the doing. 'Pon my honor, I couli
hardly expectyou to believe the end of m,
story, but that you know, like myself, tina
. truth is stronger than fiction.
y s'Well, took steady airn at the spot tina
+ knew the bullet must'pass, and fixed i
T as immovably as if the muscles Of my arm
y had been a blacksmith's wise, 50 that
:, when the moment came, / might fire with
!, out looking at it again. Then, with m!
a eyes fixed on the muzzle of the rifle,
watched it-not a second had elapsed sine
7 heard it cocked-then raised the hamme
= of my revolver, hardly daring to breathe
= lest I should alter the aim by the breadth
G of a gossamer thread.
a ''As had anticipated, the moment th
v click reached the ears of the would-be-as
q sassin, and before the report of his sho
\ reached my ears saw the bullet leaveth
!, barrel of his rifle. That instant presses
the trigger. 1t was desperate attempt
i as l said before bnt it was successful
a The Colonel did not fall He was saved
}. my first thought, or instinct, was to fir
$ at the dark form flying away among tn
4 trees. I brought him down, and tn
- Colonel rushed toward me with his own re
;volver ready for use. He recognized m
a on the instant, and demanded an explans
y ton Of the three shots that he had heard
j told him, and he paled under his sur
t. burn.
o "'Dace,' he said, with an almost impe1
- .ceptible tremer in his voice, Dare, 20
= have saved my life twice oter. Ash stoo
y there listening l heard a strange, shar
, sound close to my ear, and picked up this
4 showing me in the palm of his hand
a large, shapeless lump of lead, which prove
n ON examination to be the two bullets inseI
arably welded together.
n 'sHe grasped my hand, covered with th
gore of his late would be murderer.
a "sThanks, my brave fellow; your cou
y age and presence of mind shall not go VI
= rewarded And may mention, in pas!
4 ing, that the gallant Colonel kept his wore
: 1--WE surmised a1terward that the tw
= natives had crept up like snakes throue
- the long grass, unperceived by our POI
" fellows, who were probably rendere
N drowsy by the intense heat, had come I
"a to each man from behind and strangle
him before he could utter a cry or give tt
!, alarm to his comrades. s: s.e d..